Conference 7.286::digital

    Have you tried 'Personnel Policy and Procedures (orangebook)? DEC's
    philosophy statements are published in that. It's available via VTX
    by entering VTX ORANGEBOOK at the $. Then select main menu option
    #8, Subject search (alphabetized), then P (for philosophy), then
    Philosophy statements. There are several to choose from so hopefully
    the one you're looking for is there.
    
    Good luck,
    Shirley

Re .1:

Ah, I am used to referring to the hardcopy in the Organizational Guide.  I
didn't realize it was in PP&P, too.

Re .0:

You definitely want policy 6.23 in VTX ORANGEBOOK.
				/AHM

    Thanks for the timely responses. I had looked in VTX ORANGEBOOK but not
    in the suggested place.
    
    I'll try it immediately.
    
    Appreciate your replys.
    
    Dave Langston

    6.23 says
    
    FIRST RULE
    
    When dealing with a customer, a supplier, or an employee, do what is
    "right" to do in each situation.
    
    

  Not sure whether this repeats the P&P Digital Philosophy, but there is
  a section with that title in the "Internal Guide to Digital Organizations
  1989-1990 Edition."

  There is another interesting treatment of this subject in the preface 
  to this document -- "The Unwritten Laws of Engineering," by W. J. King, 
  reprinted with permission (originally appeared in the May, June, 
  and July 1944 issues of "Mechanical Engineering").


  JP

 Digital - Management Principles
	{copied from Livewire, 30-Mar-90 without permission}
 
 At a recent meeting, Ken Olsen, president, and other senior managers 
 formulated the following management principles, which are to be followed by
 the company.

	Responsibility
   Anyone who proposes a plan or accepts responsibility for an activity takes 
 on the obligation to make it work and to complete it. This includes planning 
 and securing commitments for the efforts of other organizations on which the 
 plan depends. Only a formal, justified request to be relieved of the 
 responsibility is reason to terminate it. Excuses such as, "I couldn't get 
 the other parties to cooperate," or "Ken Olsen didn't seem to be showing due
 interest," do not relieve one of responsibility.
   People are normally expected to participate in decisions that affect areas 
 of their responsibility. That does not mean that they have a right to
 participate in everybody else's decisions.  Normally, projects, businesses, 
 and lines of business are proposed by the people who will do them, and, in 
 fact, "They who propose will do."  Approvals are formally made by the 
 Executive Committee and/or the Board of Directors.

	Doing what's right
 Everyone is expected to do what is right. However, that does not mean that 
 one has an individual choice whether to cooperate in a product, project or 
 company business. When the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee 
 approves a business plan, this action commits all functions that are involved 
 in that business plan. The functions do not have to be "talked into it" or 
 "politicked" to do the job to which the Executive Committee or the Board of 
 Directors committed them.
   One always has the opportunity and, indeed, the obligation to raise doubts 
 about the wisdom or correctness of a plan or project. But everyone's task is
 to do his or her part of an agreed-upon, committed corporate plan.

	Resolving conflicts
   All conflicts should be immediately resolved. This does not mean that
 everyone will always get their way. In fact, it usually means just the 
 opposite. But it does mean that there is no reason for conflicts to remain 
 open and resulting frustration to escalate. It is the essence of good
 management to resolve conflicts immediately and effectively.
   Of course, the people involved should try to reconcile any conflicts or 
 disagreements. If that is not successful, the matter should be brought to 
 their supervisor, manager or vice president, who, in turn will try to resolve 
 the conflict, dealing with a counterpart if another organization is 
 involved. If the problem rises to the level of vice presidents and they still 
 can't reconcile the differences, they have the obligation of bringing the 
 matter to the president. If the conflict is a conflict with the president, 
 it should be immediately raised to the Board of Directors.
   In other words, unresolved conflicts should be raised to the next level, and 
 then the level above that, until they are finally resolved.

    Re .6
    
    What goes around, comes around.
    
    Back to product lines again I see. Let's hope it works out.
    
    Dave

    Doesn't .-1 just reinforce what's been criticized here as "what's wrong
    with DEC"?
    
    My reading on this is the groups self-define their "responsibility" in
    such a narrow way that overall business goals are never achieved, while
    "cost centers" achieve metric-success.  
    
    Or if we were to take the aggregates of what each group in the company
    is accepting "responsibility" for, we'd see such gaping holes  where no
    one has accepted responsibility that we'd question what sort of
    viability Digital has.
    
    DEC is neither top-down nor bottom-up, it's sort of from the middle and
    go in two directions.
    
    Even taking .-1 at face value, it's clear that the person who came up
    with an idea in 1985 is probably not the VP in charge of the business
    unit created around that idea in 1990.  We all can't be Ken Olsens and
    move from engineer to CEO, at least not without resigning from Digital
    first...